Making the decision to ask a woman to marry you is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life. Deciding on an engagement ring to give her at the moment you ask her to spend the rest of her life with you, can be an overwhelming experience. If you take some time to educate yourself about diamond rings and break the buying process down into steps, you’ll find the process to be fairly straightforward.

Budget
The first step toward buying an engagement ring is to decide on your budget. A good rule of thumb is to plan on spending two months salary on the ring. This is a ring your future wife is going to wear every day for the rest of her life. It is a ring that will be passed down to your children and to their children. Because it is such a special purchase, spend some time thinking about your spending limits. Take a look at the engagement rings that are in your price range. Also look at the engagement rings that are just above your price range. You might find that you can stretch your budget a bit and get a beautiful ring that will symbolize so much to you both.

Stone
Once you have decided on your price range, you need to decide on a stone. Traditionally, diamonds are the center stones of engagement rings. Less traditional but equally beautiful choices are emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. Choose a stone that you find attractive and one that you feel your future wife will enjoy. Whatever stone you choose, take some time to educate yourself about that stone. For example, if you choose a diamond for your setting, learn about the 4-C’s of diamond buying – cut, clarity, color, and carat .

Clarity – Perhaps the most important thing about choosing the perfect engagement ring is the clarity of the stone. This will also affect the price. The clarity of a diamond refers to whether or not there are visible flaws.

Cut – The next thing you need to look into is the cut. What kind of shape should the stone be? The most popular are the 58 facet oval and round cuts. There are also the princess, emerald, and, of course, the heart shape cuts. Cut is important because much of the sparkle is determined by the angles. If the proportions are all wrong, the diamond won’t be very sparkly. The cut needs to be exact. Whether you want a big gemstone or a smaller one, make sure the cut is as flawless as possible—or else there won’t be any sparkle.

Carat – Carats are the units of measurement used to weight diamonds, and generally abbreviated with a ct. You must know what carat do you want to get her? The higher the carat the more expensive will the diamond be.

Color – The color of the diamond is important. Diamonds are available in a variety of color hues and you want to make sure to get a color that she is fond of. Often, the colors are so subtle, that unless you’re an expert at diamonds you won’t be able to tell the difference.

Metal
Choosing the metal for your engagement ring can take a little research. Take a look at your future wife’s jewelry to see what sorts of metals she has in her collection. If she has a lot of silver, you might choose while gold for the engagement ring instead of the traditional 18k yellow gold. Platinum is an excellent option for women who prefer the look of white gold and silver. Platinum is a strong, durable metal and an excellent choice for the ring of a lifetime.

Setting
A traditional engagement ring has a diamond is a solitaire setting. These rings are classic and beautiful and can be bought with matching wedding bands . If you and your future spouse are less conventional, you can choose a setting with side stones or other ornamental features. If you are creative, you can work with your jeweler to create a ring of your own design.

Choosing an engagement ring can be an intimidating process. Many men opt to include their partner in the ring buying process in order to get her input and to ensure that she will have a ring she loves. Others, who want to surprise her with a ring, enlist the help of family and friends to find out her preferences. Take your time and choose carefully, and you’ll find yourself with a ring you both love that will last more than a lifetime.